I may seem like that, as the effects of decades long saturation levels of advertising can reduce one's mental capacity. Just as junk food is bad for the body, advertising is bad for the mind. It skews logic, reason, common sense and reduces our ability to think critically resulting in an attention span of a commercial.

With no need to switch between sources, many of the HDMI headaches are automatically eliminated. On only need to split the computers HDMI output to a wall mounted 46" LCD and a front projector. Last years Monoprice switchers with dual outputs no longer work, so I've ordered a tiny 1.3b splitter for $30. Until then I have to rather ridiculously manually plug and unplug the display cables.

Even the industry is fed-up with HDMI and partner Monster Cable and there "high-speed" ratings: A 6ft HDMI cable can cost over $100, while an equivalent cat 6 cable is 1/40th that cost.
Cat 5e/6 cable is rated up to 300ft. HDMI can't even be rated as its too unreliable (say your prayers for anything over 25ft).
An 8 port Gigabit Ethernet switch is $50, while the equivalent HDMI is astronomical (and not guaranteed to work).

The last thing the studios wanted was PC playback, as its the easiest and most tempting platform to rip copies, yet this is what they reap as consumers move on to a all-in-one high performance, low power, quiet, convenient, low cost, reliable, small footprint, easy to assemble, plug-and-play, advertiser free, open standard home theater computer.
Now repeat that three times.

I don't think too many people actually sit and watch the commercials. When one comes on I usually either flip the channel to something else or get up and leave the room. I sure don't watch a lot of commercials.

I don't think too many people actually sit and watch the commercials. When one comes on I usually either flip the channel to something else or get up and leave the room. I sure don't watch a lot of commercials.

Or you set up the PC to automatically scan the show and then skip over them during playback.

I'm glad you have found a proper place for yourself in the HTPC world and are dedicated to removing yourself from the conventional consumer market. Your methods may work well for your, but some just don't have the need/want to go that far. It's not that they're stuck in the "best buy" consumer world... it's that they'd rather spend their time on something else and perhaps more worldly (going outside?).

OT
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These rants are reminding me of a schizophrenic/bipolar friend I have although he'd rant about herbal alternatives to anti-psychotic medicine. Endlessly researching and sharing the research. Never ending, never satisfied... but he's almost all better now which is wonderful.

If you're in the same place he was/is, I hope you find your way. Too many similarities in demeanor for me to ignore lol. Have you transformed your Facebook account into a blog to share your findings yet? That was toward the end of his spell...

It is exceeding rare that I watch TV shows completely live. The main exception being the 5 o' clock local news while fixing dinner. But that is more just to "have the TV on."

Even shows that we start before they are done recording we don't usually start watching right when they start airing (we record everything we actually "watch".) In that case, I do have to push the skip button a few times to jump over the commercial break.

It is exceeding rare that I watch TV shows completely live. The main exception being the 5 o' clock local news while fixing dinner. But that is more just to "have the TV on."

Even shows that we start before they are done recording we don't usually start watching right when they start airing (we record everything we actually "watch".) In that case, I do have to push the skip button a few times to jump over the commercial break.

-Suntan

I find it an amazing coincidence that they skip forward button is 30 seconds AND that most commercials are 30 seconds. If I did not know better, I would say it was designed to skip through commercials!

The basic issue I have with commercials is they attempt persuade you to buy something you don't need in a contrived and deceptive way. (A women’s favorite about the erections lasting for more than four hours!). Now they are pushing the douche washes...
Quality, useful products usually don't need to be advertised as they sell themselves. IIs it wrong to resent people getting paid to manipulate our thinking?

The basic issue I have with commercials is they attempt persuade you to buy something you don't need in a contrived and deceptive way. (A women's favorite about the erections lasting for more than four hours!). Now they are pushing the douche washes...
Quality, useful products usually don't need to be advertised as they sell themselves. IIs it wrong to resent people getting paid to manipulate our thinking?

I will agree with you on established products, but I would never have known the Foreman Grill existed without commercials. It actually is a good product, provided you get the one which comes apart for easy washing. I do not need to see commercials for Coke...I already know it exists.

As for resenting them, they are the ones paying for your free TV. If you choose to pay for it again (via cable), that is your choice, but it is available for free if you want it...which is why they have commercials.

Like I said before those in the industry do not want consumers to know about the simple all-in-one component presented here. Instead they want you to pay three times (you pay just once for OTA with your time), twice for cable and satellite and three times for a T**o DVR that that instantly records and sells your every button press to large corporations and even better splashes ads in your face.

The industry tried their best to keep consumers locked-in with patents on digital DVRs. This strategy was successful for over a decade. But now finally, Windows Media Center allows anyone to install a free DVR on their PC and stream uninhibited to anywhere else in the house. Freedom and not just from commercials (that is unnecessary subscriptions). Is even MicroSoft fed-up with enforcing DRM (they lost with HD-DVD but won with WMC 7)?

Outside of the few technical and very useful thread that hardly anybody reads (and is proud of it), the new threads can be divided into 2 groups:
1. I just ditched my HTPC and finally know what nirvana is!
2. I just discovered what HTPC can do and ditched everything else for the ultimate Zen!

Like I said before those in the industry do not want consumers to know about the simple all-in-one component presented here. Instead they want you to pay three times (you pay just once for OTA with your time), twice for cable and satellite and three times for a T**o DVR that that instantly records and sells your every button press to large corporations and even better splashes ads in your face.

The industry tried their best to keep consumers locked-in with patents on digital DVRs. This strategy was successful for over a decade. But now finally, Windows Media Center allows anyone to install a free DVR on their PC and stream uninhibited to anywhere else in the house. Freedom and not just from commercials (that is unnecessary subscriptions). Is even MicroSoft fed-up with enforcing DRM (they lost with HD-DVD but won with WMC 7)?

Reasons enough to enter The Golden Age of HTPC!

Two additional comments: 1) tone it down with the evangelical sermons will ya? You're already preaching to the choir about this stuff. We already know you can dvr tv and stream video with a computer. That's why we're here.

2) If you think WMC is the end-all-be-all for uninhibited streaming of dvr'ed shows thruoghout the house, you're going to absolutely pop something when you come across some of the other options that are availabe.

Like I said before those in the industry do not want consumers to know about the simple all-in-one component presented here. Instead they want you to pay three times (you pay just once for OTA with your time), twice for cable and satellite and three times for a T**o DVR that that instantly records and sells your every button press to large corporations and even better splashes ads in your face.

The industry tried their best to keep consumers locked-in with patents on digital DVRs. This strategy was successful for over a decade. But now finally, Windows Media Center allows anyone to install a free DVR on their PC and stream uninhibited to anywhere else in the house. Freedom and not just from commercials (that is unnecessary subscriptions). Is even MicroSoft fed-up with enforcing DRM (they lost with HD-DVD but won with WMC 7)?

Reasons enough to enter The Golden Age of HTPC!

You do realize that Windows Media Center has been around since 2004, right?

Yea, except many of us have multiple TVs / projectors through out our homes. It is much less practical to get a HDMI switch or splitter as it limits multiple simultaneous viewings to one source.

A better solution is to network the entire house with Cat5 / Cat6 cable and setup a home network with a media server in one location and a HTPC and/or extender at each TV / projector. That way each viewing location can watch a different movie or show than the others.

Nvidia is coming out with the Geforce GTX 460 that can bitstream. As of now there is only a gaming card available but some low power HTPC cards are in the works. But I wouldn't expect you to know that if you're still stuck in 2009...